Consumer-operated coin counting kiosks that exchange loose coins for redeemable cash vouchers and other tangible forms of value are in wide use today. Such machines can include, for example, the machines disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,971,699, 7,874,478, 7,520,374, and 8,033,375; each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Some of these machines count consumer coins and dispense redeemable cash vouchers, while others may offer other type of purchasing instruments such as “e-certificates” for making online purchases, pre-paid gift cards and card facsimiles, etc.
In many of these existing options, the coin counting kiosks dispense some form of tangible output (e.g., a voucher, e-certificate, card, etc.) in return for the coins. Vouchers can be redeemed for cash and/or merchandise at a point of sale (POS) in a retail establishment. In the case of e-certificates, the consumer inputs a code from the e-certificate when making an online purchase. Prepaid cards can be used to make purchases at POSs with a conventional magnetic stripe card reader.
One shortcoming of these conventional options is that the raw materials for producing the different types of tangible outputs must be continually stocked in the machine and, oftentimes, printed prior to dispensing. The stocking, printing, and dispensing of these materials adds cost to the operation and maintenance of the coin counting kiosks. Accordingly, although each of these options has its benefits, it would also be advantageous to provide consumers with additional options for converting loose coins, cash, etc. to other forms of readily usable and widely accepted payment instruments.